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Where we are

Corner of Shannon and Frederick Cooper, Kenmare, Krugersdorp.

S 26° 6.360' - E 27° 48.260'

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About US

1917 – 2000 – ‘ From a humble acorn into a flourishing oak tree'

1. THE PAST: INTRODUCTION

The following extract appeared in the 1917 school magazine “Summary of Proceedings on the Formation of an Association of Old Students of Krugersdorp High School, September 28th 1917': “Miss L. Stuart proposed that an association of K.H. School be formed, to consist of both sexes – unanimous approval – Mr Reeve suggested a meeting to form a committee to decide on subscriptions, printing of a constitution, and a secretary to schedule meetings. A committee of 7, including Mr Reeve who was selected President earned applause; the remaining six members to be elected by the old students, three ladies and three gentlemen. The following were duly elected – Miss L. Stuart, Mrs D. Head, Miss J. Holmes, Mr H. Symons, T.J. van Blommestein, Mr P. Goedvolk. Subscription 10/6 per annum. Miss D. Head elected Secretary.

2. 1917 - 1945

Just 14 years after the establishment of K.H.S. in 1903, a dream was realised when the past student association was nominally born. The first few years after 1917 reflected little tangible evidence of progress in terms of membership, facilities and activities, and it was only in 1925 that the newly-elected committee began a concerted plan to recruit members and to promote sporting activities. A lack of funds, the absence of a suitable venue and clubhouse to serve as its headquarters and the fact that past students were scattered over a wide area, from Maraisburg to Randfontein, continued to hinder the development of KHOSA.

However, it was not all “gloom and doom”, and gradually social functions – the annual dance, debates and stage plays – and the introduction of rugby, cricket and women’s hockey, were signs of encouragement. At the fourth Annual General Meeting in March 1930, Herbert Dent was elected Chairman, and together with an enthusiastic committee, KHOSA entered a new era. In addition to the increased number of rugby and women’s hockey teams, cricket and men’s hockey and softball were introduced. A blazer, with a distinctive badge, was designed and the fact that two past students, Jan Lotz and Ronnie MacMillan achieved Springbok colours in Rugby and athletics respectively, added to a sense of pride in the association. In the two years preceding the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, the 1st Rugby team won the West Rand League, and communication and contact with K.H.S. increased, with regular sporting contests.

During the Second World War (1939 – 1945), many past students were involved in active duty, and hence the activities of KHOSA, to a large extent, were virtually non-existent. By the end of the war, 26 past students had made the ‘supreme sacrifice’ and to pay tribute to these men and their families a memorial avenue of oak trees, at the northern side of the school, was laid out and systematically developed.

3. 1945 – 1980

After the war, the KHOSA committee was faced with same problems experienced since the inception of the association – small membership and no central headquarters, with playing fields and a clubhouse. Thus the association had to rely on using the limited municipal sporting facilities. However, women’s softball, cricket, men and women’s hockey, the number of social functions and contact with K.H.S. (annual All Sports Day) did expand the scope of KHOSA. In addition, while women’s cricket was introduced, the rugby sub-section could not be revived.

The twenty-fifth A.G.M. held in the South African Club in Krugersdorp central in Krugersdorp central in 1950, saw the establishment of a highly motivated committee. Very soon membership increased, and the number of teams fielded in cricket, men’s and women’s hockey and women’s softball increased. Hence the 1950’s was a period of growth in terms of membership and sporting expansion. This was continued into the 1960’s and in 1962 the members who attended the A.G.M. elected a strong committee, inspired by the leadership of the school headmaster, Sarel van der Merwe (President) and Donald Armstrong (Chairman).

Negotiations with the Krugersdorp Town Council were started with a view of the financing of a clubhouse on a site of land overlooking the lower fields of the Krugersdorp Wanderers Grounds. Despite the transfer of this land from the Transvaal Provincial Council to the Krugersdorp Town Council, and the offer of the Council to make possible a R12,000 interest-free loan repayable over a period of 30 years for the building of a clubhouse, the offer was never utilized, since the additional R12,000 required for the estimated R24,000 cost of the clubhouse could not be raised by KHOSA.

In the K.H.S. magazine of 1969, we read the following:-

“It is with regret that the parent body of the Krugersdorp High Old Students’ Association (affectionately known to thos e who remember better times as “KHOSA”) has disintegrated, but it is nevertheless felt that all credit must go to those organizers of the sporting sub-sections who proudly continue to fly the flag, by giving prominence to the achievements of old students of the school on local sports fields each week.

Whilst the Old Students’ Association parent body does not exist as such, there are some who are still striving towards the goal, whereby Old Students will eventually have their own club in the country, complete with all recreation facilities, and within easy reach of Krugersdorp. It will be recalled that an effort was made, not too many years ago, to raise funds for the purchase of property, just to the north of the school for this purpose (which property would toady have been a most valuable asset) but that, due to the lack of financial support, the opportunity slipped through the hands of the committee, and was lost to all. This should never have occurred.”

Although the present body of KHOSA was disbanded, hockey and cricket flourished with increased membership. The Jan Lotz, Ivy Greig and Johanna Botha Park grounds were used for cricket while the Ivy Greig and later West Rand Cons. Mine field were used for hockey. The cricket teams included players who represented the West Rand team playing the Premier League, while the 1st hockey team gained promotion to the Premier League in 1975.

4. 1980 – Present

Owing to the road development, municipal sports fields were affected and so sporting facilities – bowls, tennis, cricket and hockey – were moved to a site in Kenmare, opposite Krugersdorp High School. While the bowls and tennis sections retained their autonomy, the cricket and hockey sections, together with the merger of the West Rand Cons. Mine cricket section, would prove to be a milestone in KHOSA history. This move to the Stan Friedman Sports Complex in Frederick Cooper Drive, provided KHOSA with headquarters from which it could launch a campaign to increase its membership for both “bone fide” past students of K.H.S. and all sections of the community, crossing all cultural differences.

The cricket and hockey sections, guided by a newly elected parent body or committee, competed against teams comprising the Transvaal Cricket Board and the Southern Transvaal Hockey Association. With the establishment of the Road Running Section in 1987 and the introduction of Baseball in 1993, KHOSA had effectively broadened its base, increased its membership and improved the caliber of sports participating. In 1983 social (non-sports) and sporting membership totaled 120 and by the end of 1997 this had grown to 745.

It has become a sports club which is non-racial, non-sexist and caters for the whole family, (there are over 300 young people in the 6 – 13 age group involved in junior cricket, mini hockey and junior baseball), while provision is also made for the “battle-scarred” veterans. Although there are several other sports clubs on the West Rand, the name of KHOSA is well respected in both Southern Gauteng and further afield, and it can justifiably lay claim to being the flagship for sport on the West Rand.

The current membership of KHOSA is fast approaching the 1 000 mark which includes purely social members, mini-hockey and cricketers, high school students, tertiary education students and active adult sports players – hockey, cricket, baseball and road running.